OMBUDSMAN Conchita Carpio Morales has ordered the filing of plunder charges against Immigration Commissioners Al Argosino and Michael Robles, together with Wenceslao Sombero, Jr., president of Asian Gaming Service Providers Association, Inc. (AGSPA), after they were found to have extorted P50 million in exchange for the release of 1,316 arrested Chinese nationals who were violating Philippine immigration laws, a statement by the Ombudsman said Friday, Oct. 27.

According to the Ombudsman’s investigation, Messrs. Argosino and Robles received P50 million from Chinese businessman Jack Lam in a deal facilitated by Mr. Sombero on Nov. 27, 2016.

The statement said Messrs. Argosino, Robles, and Sombero also face one count each for direct bribery and violation of Section 3(e) of the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act (RA 3019). They will also be charged with two counts for violation of PD 46.

“On the other hand, BI Intelligence Chief Charles Calima, Jr. faces one count each for Direct Bribery and for violation of Section 3(e) of RA 3019 while Lam will be charged with one count of violation of PD 46 for giving P50M to the BI officials,” the statement said.

The Ombudsman further noted in its consolidated resolution that, “while the amount returned by Argosino to the Department of Justice lacks One Thousand Pesos (P1,000.00), it cannot excuse them from being indicted for Plunder since they failed to controvert, by clear and convincing evidence, the claims of Norman Ng and Alex Yu (Lam’s business associates) that money, amounting to P50 million, changed hands at the City of Dreams in the City of Manila.”

“This is aside from Robles’ admission that “they took possession of all five bags containing the P50 million,” the Ombudsman also noted.

The Ombudsman gave no credence to Messrs. Argosino and Robles’s claim that they merely took custody of the money for safekeeping and as evidence in an ongoing investigation on illegal online gambling, adding that “their failure to immediately report to the proper investigating authority, or at the very least, their superiors, (DOJ) Sec. (Vitaliano) Aguirre and Commissioner (Jaime) Morente, that they had custody of the P50 million, contradicts their professed intentions.”

“On the other hand, Calima’s criminal liability stems from his participation in the extortion plot as he received P18 million from Argosino and Robles to, among other things, keep his silence,” the Office of the Ombudsman said in its statement.

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